Film production in Ethiopia
Ethiopia is covered here with 1 location. Between the longest and shortest day, usable light swings by up to 1h 03min depending on where you shoot — planning across the country is not planning one single kind of day.
Shooting hours in Addis Ababa across the year
Addis Ababa is the location covered here for this country. The table gives sunrise, sunset, usable daylight and the start of the evening golden hour for every month — computed from the coordinates (9.025, 38.7469) in the Africa/Addis_Ababa timezone.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight | Golden hour (evening, from) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 06:45 | 18:24 | 11h 39min | 17:55 |
| February | 06:45 | 18:35 | 11h 50min | 18:07 |
| March | 06:33 | 18:37 | 12h 04min | 18:09 |
| April | 06:16 | 18:35 | 12h 19min | 18:07 |
| May | 06:06 | 18:38 | 12h 32min | 18:09 |
| June | 06:07 | 18:46 | 12h 39min | 18:16 |
| July | 06:13 | 18:50 | 12h 36min | 18:20 |
| August | 06:18 | 18:43 | 12h 25min | 18:15 |
| September | 06:16 | 18:27 | 12h 11min | 17:59 |
| October | 06:13 | 18:10 | 11h 56min | 17:42 |
| November | 06:19 | 18:02 | 11h 43min | 17:33 |
| December | 06:33 | 18:09 | 11h 36min | 17:39 |
What that means for planning
In Addis Ababa, daylight swings by 1h 03min across the year. A schedule built around 12h 39min in June has only 11h 36min left in December — with the same setup count.
Concretely: in December, the sun in Addis Ababa sets at 18:09, with golden hour starting as early as 17:39. Put the exterior at the end of the day and you shoot it in the dark, or not at all.
TillyGen folds each location's sun position straight into the schedule. An exterior that no longer fits before sunset in December is flagged in the plan, not discovered on the day. The same calculation sits behind every location page for this country.
Permits and local requirements
Filming permits are granted locally almost everywhere, not nationally: the city or district you shoot in is the responsible body, and processing times differ considerably within the same country. Public space, traffic areas and drone flights each run through separate procedures.
File early enough that a refusal still leaves room for a cover location — not so late that the permit becomes the condition for the only possible shoot day. Only the responsible local authority gives binding information.
Frequently asked
How many locations in Ethiopia are covered here?
1. Locations are included when there is an evidenced production landscape — not every town in the country.
Which location in Ethiopia has the longest shooting days?
In June, Addis Ababa with 12h 39min of daylight. In December that drops to 11h 36min.
When is the best time to shoot in Ethiopia?
On daylight length alone, June. Whether that also means the steadiest weather depends on the location — the individual location pages carry rain days and sunshine hours per month.
Do I need a separate permit for every location?
As a rule yes, as soon as public ground is involved. Private locations run through the owner; traffic areas and drones add further procedures. The local authority is always the binding source.